Environmental Performance

Landfills and incinerators are the most common destinations of
collected waste. Although proven helpful in waste disposal, these two
have been widely criticized for their environmental effects. Burying
waste in landfills particularly allows for the release of methane gas, a
type of greenhouse gas that is even more dangerous than carbon
dioxide. Aside from that, landfills can leach other hazardous materials
and may cause water pollution. And because waste materials are known
to take many years to decompose, with some requiring hundreds to
thousands of years, more landfill space are needed, which are becoming
expensive and scarce. Incinerators, meanwhile, similarly emit
greenhouse gas and other toxic chemicals that endanger human health and
trigger global climate changes. Recycling responds to these problems by
decreasing the volume of waste sent to landfills and incinerators.
Rather than disposed of, waste materials are turned into something more
useful.